Elizabeth I

Elizabeth. I (1533-1603), Queen of England, b. Greenwich, London.

Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

She became queen at the age of twenty-five following the deaths of her half-brother, Edward VI and her half-sister, Mary I.

She found herself faced with many problems and because she solved them she is looked upon as a great ruler.

She supported the Church of England and she had several Catholics put to death. Elizabeth's cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, claimed the throne of England. She was a Catholic and there were many Catholic plots to help her.

Elizabeth kept Mary in prison for nineteen years and finally put her to death. Then King Philip II of Spain (the widower of Mary I) claimed the throne of England. He sent the so-called 'Invincible Armada' to invade England in 1588, but it was defeated in one of England's greatest sea victories.

The war with Spain went on for many years and in this time England founded colonies in Spain's 'New World' of America.

Elizabeth's reign was remarkable for the exploits and explorations of many English sailors including Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir John Hawkins, Martin Frobisher and John Davis.

Elizabeth did not marry, and she ruled for forty-five years.

See Alison Weir The Life of Elizabeth I